1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for dividing bread dough. In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus for dividing bread dough in which the pieces of cut bread dough are regulated to have a thickness corresponding to a preset distance from the dough outlet of the apparatus. Thereby pieces of bread dough that each have a plate-like form of a uniform thickness are obtained. It relates more particularly to an apparatus in which by a simple operation the thickness of bread dough to be cut can be adjusted. Further, it particularly relates to an apparatus for dividing bread dough into pieces of bread dough having a plate-like form, without regard to the remaining amount of dough in a dough hopper when the amount of the dough mass is decreasing. This results in an efficient dough production, which leads to a greatly standardized bread-dough product. Thus, the automated production of bread dough and the like having a high quality can be promoted.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 08/045,963 discloses an apparatus for dividing bread dough or the like. It comprises a dough-cutting member comprising a saw blade means, two dough-supporting members, and a drive means for reciprocating the saw blade means. By this prior-art apparatus, a plastic material such as bread dough or confectionery dough is smoothly severed, whereby pieces of divided bread dough, each having a plate-like form in which no stress has occurred, are obtained. However, because, at the initial stage of the cutting of bread dough, due to its static friction resistance to an outer force, the dough-cutting member advancing into the bread dough causes the stress in the bread dough to be increased. Therefore, after a piece of bread dough has been discharged from the dough outlet, the leading end of the piece of bread dough is deformed to somewhat expand, by the reaction of the stress occurring in the hopper, against the outer force. Accordingly, these pieces of divided bread dough did not necessarily have an exactly uniform thickness.
Further, in the prior-art apparatus, the positional relationship between the first and second dough-supporting members is stationary, namely, they are in a fired relationship. Therefore, to adjust or change a thickness of the bread dough to be cut, the mounting position of the second dough-supporting member to the frame had to be changed. This leads to complications and inefficiency.
Moreover, the decrease in the amount of the bread dough in the hopper causes the weight of the dough mass in the hopper to be decreased, so that the pressure in the dough decreases. Therefore, the bottom of the bread dough mass against which the dough-cutting member advances cannot be held down by the weight of the bread dough against the dough-supporting member. Thus, the bread dough mass cannot resist the advancing cutting member, so that the dough-cutting member merely pushes a part of the dough mass in any direction with the bread dough mass not being cut. Therefore, not all of the bread dough charged in the hopper would be available to be cut. This leads to an uneconomical use of the bread dough.